


Uh. . . What?

by Phantom_Wolf



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha Rick, Awkward Daryl, BAMF Daryl, BAMF Rick, Bottom Daryl, Cameos, Daryl Dixon & Glenn Rhee Friendship, Daryl Has Issues, Daryl will rip throats out, Daryl's Past, F/M, Full Shift Werewolves, Human Rick, Human-Werewolf Interactions, I can't stop tagging, Knotting, Lori Being an Asshole, Lori's A+ Parenting, M/M, Oblivious Rick, Pack Dynamics, Puppy Piles, Racist Language, Scents & Smells, Secrets, Shane Being an Asshole, Sophia Lives, Swearing, Tags Are Fun, Top Rick, Virgin Daryl, Walkers (Walking Dead), Werewolf Healing, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Werewolves Turn Into Actual Wolves, Where's Carl?, Wolves, Zombies, but no actual racism, werewolf!Daryl, with his teeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-10 23:32:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantom_Wolf/pseuds/Phantom_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So Daryl found Sophia. Funny thing is, Sophia said she passed out just as a large dog found her, only to wake up in the arms of Daryl.</p><p>Meanwhile, Daryl starts to see everyone as pack. Only thing is, is that no one knows about werewolves and doesn't follow standard pack dynamics and rules. It's pissing him off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 Dale sat on top of the RV, binoculars in one hand, shotgun in the other. In the distance, a figure emerged from the woods. Dale focused the binoculars, seeing the familiar silhouette of Daryl.

 "Daryl's back!"

 The group stirred slightly, wondering how the search for Sophia went. Dale squinted through the binoculars, his breath caught.

 "He-he has Sophia!"

 Sure enough, Daryl was walking back, Sophia unconscious in his arms. Carol took off across the field.

 "Sophia! Sophia!"

 Sophia stirred in Daryl's hold. She blinked and looked up. The red-neck man smirked.

 "Mr. Daryl?"

 "Good ta see ya 'gain pup."

 Carol cried out again, almost to them.

 "Sophia!"

 Sophia looked over her shoulder as her mother came running. Carol reached her as Sophia wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

 "Mama!"

 Sophia and Carol collapsed to the ground, hugging and crying. Daryl sighed. Carol had her pup back, and the knot in Daryl's chest loosened some. The group gathered around them, all reaching out for Sophia, patting her on the head. T-Dog slapped Daryl on the back.

 "Good job, man."

 Daryl shrugged before he pushed the group apart. He placed his hand on Carol's shoulder.

 "Come on, let’s get her to Hershel."

 

* * *

 

Sophia was asleep on the sofa, an IV in her arm. Hershel patted Carol and addressed the group.

 "She'll be alright. She's dehydrated, so I have her on an IV for now. I can take her off of it in the morning. Everything else is superficial. Skinned knees and palms, a couple bruises."

 Everyone sighed in relief. Daryl looked over at the closed door where Rick and Lori were with Carl.

 "I'm gonna go tell Rick."

 Daryl knocked on the door before opening it. Rick and Lori sat at Carl's bedside. Carl was asleep. Rick looked up into Daryl's eyes. Daryl dropped his eyesight slightly. _Alpha._

 "We found Sophia. She's asleep on the sofa."

 Daryl steps out of the way as the couple go to confirm it with their own eyes. Lori and Carol hugged each other, tears of joy. Both of their children were safe. Hershel pulled Rick aside, out of everyone's hearing range. Everyone's but Daryl's.

 "I'm glad you found the girl, but this is not a hotel. Once your boy is able to move, I'd like for y'all to leave."

Rick looked over his shoulder, taking in all the happy, _fear free_ , faces.

"Look, Hershel. I know this is your land and you want to keep it safe for your family. But I've got my own family to think about. Please. We won’t be a bother. We'll pull our own weight. Help keep this place _safe._ "

Hershel sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rick. I truly am-"

"Then let us stay. Please. You don't know what it's like out there. You send us out there, and we'll die."

Daryl cocked his head slightly, listening to Hershel's heartbeat. It had skipped slightly on the word die.

"Alright, I'll think about it."

Hershel lifted his hand, stopping Rick from speaking.

"I'm not saying yes, but I will think about it."

Daryl slipped quietly out of the house, vaguely hearing Carl stirring from his sleep. The pup was in for a surprise when he woke up, that was for sure. Daryl headed for his tent when the smell hit him. Daryl nearly stumbled by the sudden on slaughter to his senses. He knew that smell, the smell of rotting corpses. He could hear their shuffling walk and low gruttle moans. Daryl looked over at the barn on the other side of the field.

How had he not heard them before? Or smelt them? Daryl mentally kicked himself. What kind of wolf was he? His mind was so full of _lost pup lost pup lost pup_ , that he didn't even notice the walkers in the barn.

Why were there walkers in the barn?

Daryl growled low in his throat, his fangs itching below his gums.

_Hershel._


	2. Chapter 2

 

It took all of Daryl's self control to not storm into the house and throw Hershel across the room. Daryl paced back and forth in front of the house, trying to decide what to do. Should he go tell the group? Confront Hershel? Hell, maybe he should just sneak into the barn and put down all the walkers himself. Rick stepped out onto the front porch.

 

"Daryl, what are you doing out here? You're the man of the hour, come inside. Hershel brought out some scotch."

 

Daryl stopped pacing and grabbed Rick's arm, pulling him close. His inner wolf perked up in interest. Alpha was really close. Daryl pushed his instincts aside, now was not the time.

 

"Rick . . . there are walkers 'n the barn."

 

Rick's smile dropped from his face instantly.

 

"What?"

 

"Walkers. The damn ol' fucker's gotta herd of walkers locked up in 'is barn!"

 

Ricked looked over at the barn and rubbed his face. He sighed.

 

"Alright. . . I'll-I'll go talk to Hershel. Meanwhile, don't tell anyone and try to keep everyone away from it. Alright?"

 

"Whateva ya say, officer."

 

Rick nodded absently before he turned and went back inside. Daryl couldn't stay put. Excess energy was rolling over him in waves. He needed to go for a run.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Daryl ran low to the ground, head pointed right out in front of him. His paws made little noise on the forest floor. He weaved between trees, jumped over logs and ducked under branches. The sun had set an hour ago, but Daryl kept running. It had been a while since he just _ran_. Different smells crisscrossed over the obscure path Daryl was taking. A deer here, a coyote there. Daryl slowed to a trot and jumped up onto a large rock. He puffed out his chest, pulled his ears back, lifted his head and howled. It was loud and he could feel it vibrate through him. Walkers be damned, he was far enough away from camp. Might even lead a few away from the farm.

 

Which was where he should probably be headed back to. He turned on his paws and started a fast trot back to the farm. He hoped Rick wasn't too mad that Daryl was out after dark. Just as he turned to leave, laughter made his ears prick upright. It was far away, but close enough to hear. Several people were laughing, and underneath it, Daryl could hear someone crying.

 

'Leave it. It's not your problem.'

 

The crying got louder, as did the laughing.

 

'Damn it'

 

Daryl growled at himself as he followed his ears. Merle always said Daryl was soft, too soft. And Merle was right. Merle would never run off to go be a hero.

 

_But Rick would._

 

The light of a campfire slow and stop at the edge, hidden behind a thicket of shrubs. A group of about ten men were laughing in a circle, in the center were two girls. Both were tied up and gagged. The crying was coming from them. To the edge of the group was a man who was also tied up and gagged. He was held up by his hair, gun to his head. One of the girls started to scream through the cloth in her mouth. A tall man with a rifle, obviously the leader, was unzipping the girl's pants. Daryl growled and everyone in the clearing froze.

Daryl stepped out of the dark, snarling. The men stared at him in shock.

"Don't just stand there, shoot it!"

A young man, maybe all of 16, turned his gun at Daryl. Daryl jumped to the side and ran around several others. He jumped and bit down on the leader's arm. The man screamed and released the girl, who scooted back from them. Daryl sunk his teeth further into the man's arm, shaking his head back and forth. Blood pooled over his chin and the man screeched, trying to drag his arm out of the werewolf's jaws. Daryl released him, and the vile man fell back on his back. Before he could stand up, Daryl had his throat in his teeth. The windpipe crunched under his fangs and easily came free. The man gurgled as his own blood was drowning him. His body shook, then stilled.

Daryl turned to the rest of the group and growled, blood drooling from his open mouth. The younger male screamed and took off, the rest of them following him. Their screams echoed through the night as they fled. Daryl turned to the two girls and the older man who were tied up. He approached the slightly older girl, who started to panic as he got closer. Daryl huffed and clawed at the ropes. Two slashes and the girl was untied. She quickly untangled herself from the rope, pulled out her gag, and zipped up her pants. She was breathing heavily through her tears. She stumbled backward, grabbing a knife nearby, and pointing it at Daryl. Daryl backed up and sat down, trying to look as unthreatening as possible.

The girl shook, but quickly went and cut the younger girl and the man free. The man hugged the two girls close to him, tears in his eyes. The girls sobbed in his chest. The man looked at Daryl.

"Thank you for saving my daughters."

Daryl left as quickly as he arrived.  


 

* * *

 

 

Rick sat on watch, keeping a close eye on the forest. He knew that's were Daryl had gone. He only hoped he would come back soon. Almost as if hearing his thoughts, Daryl's figure stepped out of the woods. Rick squinted through the dark and waved. Daryl waved back, which amazed Rick. Daryl could see very well in the dark. The redneck stumbled into camp, covered in blood. Rick jumped down from the RV, rushing to his side.

 

"Daryl, are you ok?"

 

Daryl nodded and waved Rick off.

 

" 'm fine. Jus' ran into a couple walkers. Nothin' I couldn't handle."

Daryl quickly entered his tent, zipping it shut. Rick was worried. If he had run into walkers, why was there blood around his mouth?

 


	3. Chapter 3

Everything was wrong. Everything was very wrong, and no one was doing anything about it. The walkers in the barn smelled and the noise they made kept him up at night. Rick had yet to talk to Hershel about it, always coming up with excuses. Not only that, but the pack was not acting like a pack.

Nobody ate in the right order. The pups got their food first, which was correct, but then order went out the window. It made Daryl angry. Made him want to rip out his own tail fur.

And the smells. Daryl could smell a lot of things. For instance; Lori was pregnant. The damn smell of hormones came off of her in waves. And Glenn and Maggie. Daryl wasn't sure how, but Glenn had bagged himself the farmer's daughter. Their scents mixed together in a bitter sweet way.

Shane smelled of guilt and pain, underlined by something that made Daryl's fur bristle. Everything was wrong and Daryl was going crazy. He paced around the perimeter of the yard, rolling his shoulders as he kept down the instinct to shift. The girls, minus Andrea, were doing laundry. Andrea was on watch with Dale. Sophia was with Carl, keeping him company. Daryl wasn't sure what T-Dog and Shane were doing, but they sure had a lot of sticks.

And Glenn was telling Maggie how, before he moved back to Georgia, he had lived in California for a bit. And was roommates with an insane scientist. She snorted at him, but he insisted that the man named 'Sheldon' was evil.

Rick. . . Rick was watching Daryl. He could feel the other man's eyes following him. It made Daryl's spine shiver and his fangs tingle under his gums. He wasn't sure why, but his instincts screamed for Alpha. All of his senses were being pulled each way, stretched far too thin. He needed to fix this.

\--

Rick watched as Daryl paced around the farm before abruptly turning and stomping over to him. Daryl stopped in front of him, his shoulders hunched and a grimace on his face.

"Rick, ya gotta do somethin' 'bout those walkers. Or I will."

Rick frowned before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright. I'll go talk to Hershal now."

Daryl nodded once, spun on his heal and padded off. Rick headed for the house, where Hershel was tending to Carl.

\--

Daryl had half expected to be punished for confronting his alpha, and had nearly bared his throat when the man had raised his hand to rub his neck. But Rick was a good man, if not a good alpha, and knew that the barn walkers needed to be dealt with. Hopefully, the walkers wound be gone soon. Next in line of his 'fixin' it' list was Glenn.

The boy (for he was a boy, no matter how much he said he wasn't) was talking with Dale, Maggie having left for the (walker free) barn. Glenn was twisting his hat in his hands, looking nervous. Dale was trying to coax the boy into telling him what was wrong. Just as Glenn opened his mouth, Daryl stepped into his eyesight.

"China-man, need ta talk ta ya."

Glenn frowned, the 'I'm Korean' barely held back. Dale looked annoyed and worried, but left the two to talk.

"Uh, sure Daryl. What is it?"

The werewolf looked Glenn over, could smell Maggie all over him. Maggie was from another pack, and while their packs may be joining together, there was the possibility that they weren't. If Glenn was serious about her, he may switch packs. Leaving them short a man in a pack full of humans and one wolf. (Daryl didn't dare think that the chink had grown on him. That the kid was like an annoying adolescent pup. Like a stupid little brother.)

"If we have ta leave this farm, are ya comin' with us?"

Glenn looked surprised at the question.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"You've been sleepin' with that Maggie girl."

Glenn started to deny it, but stopped short. Daryl wasn't asking him, he was stating a fact. Glenn swallowed and nodded mutely.

"If it's serious, ya may have ta choose between us an' her."

Daryl watched the boy shift uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Don't straddle the fence. Choose a pack an' stick with it."

Daryl shouldered his crossbow and left as silently as he came.

\--

Daryl didn't dare go talk to Lori. There was no way in hell he was gonna talk to her about the baby, let alone who the father was. She wasn't alpha's mate, at least not completely. She smelled like a mix between Rick and Shane, and Daryl was unsure if he should see her as female alpha or intruder. And Shane? Shane was. . . part rogue, part wannabe alpha. In Daryl's mind, a threat to the alpha and something that need to be taken care of. Just not by him. Rick needed to either run off or kill Shane, or put him in his place.

But Rick wouldn't do that, none of them would. Because while Daryl saw a newly formed pack, they only saw a group of people who were forced together. Normal people. They didn't understand pack ways. Didn't understand why Daryl got mad when Glenn looked him in the eyes, or why he would nearly punch T-Dog when he held his head too high.

He may have been born a human, and as much as Daryl tried to act human, there was no way around it. He was a wolf. Had been since he was bitten when he was 8. And his very first real pack didn't even know he was a wolf, or that they were even a pack.

Daryl chuffed and scratched his stubble. He watched as Rick and Hershel headed into the woods, a long pole with a loop of rope at the end in Hershel's hands. What were they doing?


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it seemed that everyone else did. Everyone was rushing back and forth as Shane handed out guns. Daryl approached Shane as he shouldered his crossbow.

"What's goin' on?"

Shane snarled, it was such a wolf like motion that it almost startled Daryl- almost.

"Hershel's got a fuckin' herd of walkers in his barn!"

_How in the hell did he know that? Who told him?_

The entire group was arming themselves and getting ready. Sophia was helping a still limping Carl into the RV, closing the door. Shane stood tall as he called out for everyone.

"We cannot just sit here while there are walkers just across the yard from where we sleep! We have to take action!"

Daryl had to hold back a growl. This _interloper_ dare to play alpha.

"We have to wait for Rick! Ya just can't take over the second he leaves!"

Shane did waste anytime getting right up in Daryl's face.

"We need to act now, and Rick's not here. So suck it up you inbred redneck."

Daryl snarled, his eyes flashing yellow. Shane drew back in surprise. All anger left the wolf, fear almost instantly settling in.  _He saw, he saw, he saw!_ Shane stepped closer, eyes narrowed, hand going for his gun. Glenn stepped in, holding up his hands in peace.

"Whoa Shane. Daryl has a point. Maybe we should wait for Rick."

Shane kept a steady eye on Daryl as he answered Glenn.

"Rick's to much of a pushover. He's more concerned with stayin' on Hershel's good side then dealin' with the problem."

 Daryl could hear footsteps coming from the forest. Two of them normal, two a shuffling walk. He turned to see Rick and Hershel coming their way, two walkers being led forward with catch poles. Shane followed Daryl's gaze and snarled. The deputy stalked over, drawing his gun.

 "What the hell you doin'?"

Rick struggled to keep his walker upright and away from anyone. The group gathered close by, weapons at the ready. Hershel frowned.

"Why do your people have guns?"

Shane circled around them as they both shoved the walkers closer to the barn.

"You see! You see what you're holdin' onto?!"

Hershel steered the corpse away from Shane. Daryl wasn't sure if he was trying to stop the walker from biting him or protect the walker from Shane.

"I see who I'm holding onto."

"These monster's are not people, they're things! Dead!"

Shane circled around again, drawing his gun.

"Could a living, breathing person walk away from this?!"

He shot the walker Hershel was leading in the chest. The corpse jolted, but continued to struggle.

"Shane! Stop!"

At Rick's yell, Daryl lowered his weapon and surged forward. There was a problem that his alpha was mad about, and he moved to fix it. Daryl grabbed Shane by the back of his shirt, pulling him away. Shane elbowed him in the gut, but no weak human could hurt him.

"Fucker!"

Shane turned his gun on him, but Daryl grabbed his arm and squeezed. His claws dug into the soft underflesh of Shane's wrist. Shane's face flickered from anger, to a hint of fear.

_Good._

"Daryl, stop!"

Rick's command immediately had him releasing Shane, stepping away. Shane stumbled back, eyes wide. He stared at Daryl for a second before turning back to the walkers.

"Amy, Ed, Jim! All dead because of these things!"

Shane shot the walkers again, this time in the head. Hershel watched, his resolve breaking.

"Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us."

Shane slammed the but of his gun against the chains holding the barn shut. The group all raised their weapons as the dead poured out into the yard. Shots were fired, causing loud reverberations to cross the field. Within seconds every walker was put down.

". . . Annette. . . Shawn. . ."

Hershel pulled his dead son into his arms with a look of shock.

"Mom!"

Beth rushed forward, grabbing at another walker. Daryl heard the low grumble of it- it was still alive! The walker reared up, grabbing Beth by the arm. The young girl screamed as she tried to pull away. Daryl moved quickly, grasping the walker by the back of the head. He slammed it into the hard earth twice, destroying the brain.

"Mama"

 Daryl winced in sympathy. Maggie dragged Beth away from her dead mother and towards the house. Hershel stumbled off towards his truck- ignoring Rick trying to talk to him. The group was left standing there with the dead walkers, unsure what to do. Shane took over.

"Start preparin' to burn them. Lori, you go sit with Carl."

Shane turned on Daryl.

"And _you_ , we need to talk."

 

* * *

 

 

Shane shoved Daryl up against the tree, his hand fisted in the front of his shirt.

"What the fuck was that earlier?!"

"What was what, man? You gotta be more specific."

Shane pulled Daryl forward and slammed him back against the tree again. Daryl didn't even flinch.

"That crazy fucked up eye flash thing! And your nails!"

"I don' know what yer talkin' about."

"Don't give me that shit! Rick may be blind, but I'm not. The way I see it, I should put a bullet right between your eyes."

Shane pulled his gun and rested the barrel on Daryl's forehead.

"Or maybe I should put one in your leg. Let you go try an' crawl back. Bet it'd be fun to watch ya bleed out."

Daryl grabbed the gun and flipped it out of Shane's hand. He spun himself around and grabbed the surprised man. He twisted Shane's arm and huffed when he heard it snap. Humans were so weak- so brittle. It was almost too easy. Daryl threw Shane into the tree trunk, holding him there.

Eye's glowing yellow, fangs extended, claws ripping holes in the other man's shirt, Daryl leaned forward into Shane's face. He sniffed carefully at his neck and growled, it rumbling deep in his chest as he flashed his fangs.

_Not Pack._

This _faux_ alpha was trying to worm his way into Rick's pack. Daryl had had enough. Shane pulled back, the smell of fear and anger clouded the air.

"What are you?!"


End file.
